"Wonderful music. The accompanying notes have only the titles of the arias and choral pieces, not the full texts. Which is almost unbelievable in a recording of this quality, and sadly limits the listening experience."
Delicious and delightful music-making!
RENS | Dover, NH USA | 12/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Harnoncourt's recently released recording of Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium, or set of six cantatas for Christmastide, is delightful and delicious, excellent in every way. I have a slight preference for Rene Jacobs's recording Bach: Weihnachts-Oratorium (Christmas Oratorio) / Jacobs, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, but I am very glad that my curiosity led me to purchase this set as well. Each is a fine example of informed baroque performance practice and each is done with both enthusiasm and attention to detail. If Jabobs has Andreas Scholl as alto soloist, Harnoncourt has Gerald Finley as bass soloist - so you will realy want to have both sets in your collection."
Excellent Bach
Der Musiker | 01/21/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Harnoncourt recorded Bach's Christmas Oratorio with his Concentus musicus Wien once before in about 1973. It's a good recording but there are certainly many better ones recorded using period instruments that have come out since then. This new one is fantastic, though. His instrumentalists are masters now of their period instruments and his somewhat relaxed view of the score has a nice degree of intimacy. I've listened to it four times now and love it. My only complaint is that he's used a female alto where most would use a male counter tenor. I love the recording with Rene Jacobs on Harmonia Mundi because it uses the very fine counter tenor Andreas Scholl but still wouldn't trade this new Harnoncourt for even that as a whole. Highly recommended!"
Excellent, but I prefer Harnoncourt's Teldec recording
Virginia Opera Fan | Falls Church, VA USA | 12/11/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Harnoncourt's Teldec recording of the six cantatas comprising the Christmas Oratorio is the most pastoral of any version with which I'm familiar. That impression is assisted by the presence of boy trebles from the Vienna Boys Choir and the use of the re-constructed oboe da caccia. The instrument is gently plangent in tone and something of a revelation when the LPs were released in the early 1970s.
The current version is excellent but misses the magic of the earlier version in its use of all adult soloists and choir. Soloists are excellent. Gerald Finley is a standout, but appears only in the first three cantatas. Christian Gerhaber replaces him in catatas four through six. The Arnold Schoenberg Choir is very fine and their accented English, which compromised Haroncourt's DHM "Messiah" is not a problem in this German language work. The Concentus Musicus plays very well indeed. It is instructive to compare their current state with some of their 1960s efforts to see just how far period istrument expertise has come.
The SACD surround sound is quite good and captures the sound of the Musikverein well. I think this is the only alternative available in high definition sound.
In addition to the cited earlier Harnoncourt, I hold an abiding affection for Richter's DG Archiv version, despite being played on modern instruments and an egregiously slow tempo for "Schlafe, mein liebster" in the second cantata. His solo quartet (Janowitz, Ludwig, Wunderlich, Crass) is the best ever for my money."
Outstanding
Roger Oakley | Melbourne, Australia | 10/31/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"
This splendid recording was made at performances given in Vienna's Musikverein in December 2006 and January 2007.
All the soloists are excellent and though some listeners may prefer a male alto, Bernarda Fink's singing is firm and expressive. She and the excellent tenor Gerd Turk carry the bulk of the solo work. Gerald Finley is the bass soloist in the first three cantatas, Christian Gerhaher in the remaining three.
Choral and orchestral work are predictably fine and I can vouch for the extra presence of the sound in SACD format.
Conductor Harnoncourt contributes notes on "the articulation and instrumentation" of the oratorio, but there are no texts or translations with this set, merely a list of the various numbers that make up the six cantatas.
All the same, it offers outstanding value at the current price.
Track Listings (36) - Disc #1![Bach: Christmas Oratorio Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248 [SACD]](https://nationalbookswap.com/cd//l/52/1152/6161152.jpg)